**3. Dairy goats**

Dairy producers in the USA generally use goats from a limited array of imported breeds. These goats are either purebred or high-grade, and breeders and registries closely track the ancestry of these goats. These imported breeds include Nubian, Alpine, Saanen (and its colored derivative named Sable), Toggenburg, and Oberhasli. In each of these breeds performance recording is routine, registrations and pedigrees are tracked, and they are used for milk production as well as for exhibition and competition in livestock shows.

The Nigerian Dwarf Goat stands apart from these others. It is, as the name suggests, a small goat originally from Africa that is now used for home-scale dairy production. It is derived from imports of landrace-type goats from Nigeria in the 1950s and 1960s. Breeders organized and defined the breed from these imported sources, even though the breed is much less organized or documented in its country of origin. Its small size and modest levels of production make it a breed more fitted for home milk production than for commercial goat dairying. The record for a 305 day lactation is 798 kg [1]. The census figures for 2013 included 8589 new registrations for the year, implying a total population size of 30,000 or so.

The American Lamancha is the only dairy goat breed with a local American origin, having been developed from a foundation based on local goats in California beginning in the 1930s and gaining breed recognition in the 1950s. These original goats were reputedly of Spanish origin via the colonial period during which the region was under Spanish and Mexican control. This history has contributed the name to the breed, even though no such breed exists in Spain under this name. The Lamancha breed was deliberately developed by adding successive influences from the other recognized dairy breeds to the original genetic base of local goats. These influences are all from imported breeds, and are therefore not local in a strict sense. These additions over generations were to the extent that they now vastly predominate over that original base of local goats. The Lamancha breed is a composite of these influences, most of which are imported. The breed has now been selected for dairy production from within this discrete population, and has been relatively closed for multiple generations.

The nomenclature of dairy goat breeding in the USA can become confusing and warrants some explanation when discussing the American Lamancha. The tracking of registered breeds of dairy goats in the USA takes a form of companion sections in the registries. One of these sections is for purebreds, and goes by whatever breed name is appropriate. A second section is for goats that have been graded up to relatively high levels of the breed from an original base of ordinary goats. In this section the goats are referred to as the breed name preceded by "American" as a modifier. In this system a "Toggenburg" is a purebred Toggenburg tracing back to the original imports in all lines of descent. In contrast, an "American Toggenburg"

**45**

*Local Goat Breeds in the United States*

fully within the breed.

**Figure 1.**

**4. Fiber goats**

curl of the modern Angora.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89213*

is a grade goat, although in most cases one that has very little breeding external to the imported lines. American goats, regardless of how small that outside influence is, can never be moved over into the purebred section. The case of the American Lamancha is therefore slightly different, because it is a breed that was formed in the USA, and as a result the only herdbook section is "American." Therefore upgraded goats are fully included into the registry in this single section, and can participate

The most distinctive feature of Lamancha goats is their short ears, which pass along generation to generation as a dominant genetic trait. Homozygotes have shorter ears that are nearly vestigial, while heterozygotes generally have a more obvious remnant of the pinna. The "gopher ear" is the shorter of the two, up to

Originally Lamancha goats were especially prized for their ability to milk continuously through several years after a single kidding. This trait is used less now than in years past, with most Lamanchas currently being mated for annual kid production and then milked for the subsequent lactation that is generally standardized at 305 days long. Milk production in the breed includes a record of 2770 kg in 2017 [1]. Also in 2017 the breed leader in butterfat produced 100 kg (8.1%), and the breed leader for protein production had a record of 58 kg (3.3%). Lamancha does should weigh at least 59 kg, and bucks 70 kg. The breed comes in a wide variety of colors. The hair coat is short, and the conformation is a typical dairy type. The census figures for 2013 included 11,518 new registrations, implying a total popula-

Mohair production in the USA is all from Angora goats, and the Edwards Plateau in Texas is one of the main regions in which this international breed is raised. The Angora goat does not qualify as local by virtue of its importation early in the 1900s. A distinct archaic type does persist in the USA, mainly among breeders of the indigenous Navajo nation. This is a type close to that represented in the early importations and distinct from the more modern type. The Navajo Angora has a flatter lock type in contrast to the more pencil locks favored in modern Angoras. In addition the horns tend to twist upward or outward rather than having the lower pronounced

An increasing number of breeders, especially among artisans and hand-crafters, are concerned that this type of goat with its distinctive fiber is in danger of being completely absorbed by the more modern type. In response there is increasing

2.5 cm but preferably shorter. The "elf ear" is up to 5 cm long.

*The American Lamancha is characterized by short ears. Photo by J. Beranger.*

tion in the range of 50,000 or so (**Figure 1**).

*Goats (Capra) - From Ancient to Modern*

effective conservation and promotion.

exhibition and competition in livestock shows.

been relatively closed for multiple generations.

**3. Dairy goats**

any available genetic results in order to make decisions as to their validity as populations with sufficient genetic uniformity to serve effectively as genetic resources. Once accepted as genetic resources (more formally as "breeds"), each is then further supported by organization of breeders and development of conservation strategies that are appropriate for the breed based on history and cultural factors. This may involve herdbooks and individual animal registration, or other strategies for more local breeds kept in more extensive situations where individual registration is not realistic. The background factors for each breed, along with the census, allow the Livestock Conservancy to establish priorities as well as strategies for

Dairy producers in the USA generally use goats from a limited array of imported breeds. These goats are either purebred or high-grade, and breeders and registries closely track the ancestry of these goats. These imported breeds include Nubian, Alpine, Saanen (and its colored derivative named Sable), Toggenburg, and Oberhasli. In each of these breeds performance recording is routine, registrations and pedigrees are tracked, and they are used for milk production as well as for

The Nigerian Dwarf Goat stands apart from these others. It is, as the name suggests, a small goat originally from Africa that is now used for home-scale dairy production. It is derived from imports of landrace-type goats from Nigeria in the 1950s and 1960s. Breeders organized and defined the breed from these imported sources, even though the breed is much less organized or documented in its country of origin. Its small size and modest levels of production make it a breed more fitted for home milk production than for commercial goat dairying. The record for a 305 day lactation is 798 kg [1]. The census figures for 2013 included 8589 new registra-

The American Lamancha is the only dairy goat breed with a local American origin, having been developed from a foundation based on local goats in California beginning in the 1930s and gaining breed recognition in the 1950s. These original goats were reputedly of Spanish origin via the colonial period during which the region was under Spanish and Mexican control. This history has contributed the name to the breed, even though no such breed exists in Spain under this name. The Lamancha breed was deliberately developed by adding successive influences from the other recognized dairy breeds to the original genetic base of local goats. These influences are all from imported breeds, and are therefore not local in a strict sense. These additions over generations were to the extent that they now vastly predominate over that original base of local goats. The Lamancha breed is a composite of these influences, most of which are imported. The breed has now been selected for dairy production from within this discrete population, and has

The nomenclature of dairy goat breeding in the USA can become confusing and warrants some explanation when discussing the American Lamancha. The tracking of registered breeds of dairy goats in the USA takes a form of companion sections in the registries. One of these sections is for purebreds, and goes by whatever breed name is appropriate. A second section is for goats that have been graded up to relatively high levels of the breed from an original base of ordinary goats. In this section the goats are referred to as the breed name preceded by "American" as a modifier. In this system a "Toggenburg" is a purebred Toggenburg tracing back to the original imports in all lines of descent. In contrast, an "American Toggenburg"

tions for the year, implying a total population size of 30,000 or so.

**44**

**Figure 1.** *The American Lamancha is characterized by short ears. Photo by J. Beranger.*

is a grade goat, although in most cases one that has very little breeding external to the imported lines. American goats, regardless of how small that outside influence is, can never be moved over into the purebred section. The case of the American Lamancha is therefore slightly different, because it is a breed that was formed in the USA, and as a result the only herdbook section is "American." Therefore upgraded goats are fully included into the registry in this single section, and can participate fully within the breed.

The most distinctive feature of Lamancha goats is their short ears, which pass along generation to generation as a dominant genetic trait. Homozygotes have shorter ears that are nearly vestigial, while heterozygotes generally have a more obvious remnant of the pinna. The "gopher ear" is the shorter of the two, up to 2.5 cm but preferably shorter. The "elf ear" is up to 5 cm long.

Originally Lamancha goats were especially prized for their ability to milk continuously through several years after a single kidding. This trait is used less now than in years past, with most Lamanchas currently being mated for annual kid production and then milked for the subsequent lactation that is generally standardized at 305 days long. Milk production in the breed includes a record of 2770 kg in 2017 [1]. Also in 2017 the breed leader in butterfat produced 100 kg (8.1%), and the breed leader for protein production had a record of 58 kg (3.3%). Lamancha does should weigh at least 59 kg, and bucks 70 kg. The breed comes in a wide variety of colors. The hair coat is short, and the conformation is a typical dairy type. The census figures for 2013 included 11,518 new registrations, implying a total population in the range of 50,000 or so (**Figure 1**).
